Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Blackburn

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Lord Bethell on 24 July (HL Deb, cols 2475–98), whether they will now answer the question putbyLord Alton of Liverpool about the pausing of lockdown easements in Blackburn; what assessment they have made of the number of COVID-19 infections there; what progressthey have made in containing theincreasein such cases; and what criteria will be used to resume the easement of lockdown. [T]

Lord Bethell: Effective local management of outbreaks is the first line of protection against a second wave that might overwhelm the National Health Service.In this case, Blackburn suffered the highest incidence rates of all districts in Lancashire for three consecutive weeks between 13 July and 2 August. Incidents rates per 100,000 population rose from 83.25 and peaked at 91.98 before falling to 74.53 by 2 August once local resources were augmented with national support.When considering whether an area can come out of a localised lockdown, there will need to be a reduction in cases consistent with the surrounding areas and a significantly diminished risk of further growth. We are keeping these restrictions under review and they will be removed when they are no longer proportionate or necessary. These decisions are made on a case-by-case basis with involvement of the scientific community and local leaders.

Hospitals: Coronavirus

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government in what format data on the number of patients who have been admitted to the NHS Nightingale Hospitals is held.

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government in what format data on bed occupancy in NHS Nightingale Hospitals is held.

Lord Bethell: NHS England publishes a ‘COVID-19 Hospital Activity’ dataset which includes the number of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 as well as beds occupied by patients with COVID-19, both at provider level only. Data specifically for the Nightingale hospitals is not held.The Nightingale hospitals in London and the North West have been placed on standby.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prepare for a potential second wave of COVID-19 infections during the winter.

Lord Bethell: To prepare the National Health Service for winter, the Government is providing an additional £3 billion of funding. This includes money to allow the NHS to maintain the Nightingale surge capacity and continue to use the extra hospital capacity available within the independent sector.Effective local management of any outbreaks is the first line of protection against a second wave. To support local authorities, we have made £300 million available and they already have robust plans in place to respond to outbreaks.We have also made significant strides in building our Test and Trace service. We have established one of the world’s largest testing programmes, with capacity at around 350,000 tests every day and we have already traced around 250,000 people who may have unknowingly spread the virus.NHS winter preparations include delivering a very significantly expanded seasonal flu vaccination programme for priority groups.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what cross-Governmentplanning is taking place in preparation for a potential second wave of COVID-19.

Lord Bethell: To prepare the National Health Service for winter, the Government is providing an additional £3 billion of funding. This includes funding to allow the NHS to maintain the Nightingale surge capacity and continue to use the extra hospital capacity available within the independent sector.Effective local management of any outbreaks is the first line of protection against a second wave that might overwhelm the NHS. To support local authorities, we made £300 million available and they already have robust plans in place to respond to outbreaks.We have also made significant strides in our Test and Trace service. We have established one of the world’s largest testing programmes, with capacity at around 350,000 tests every day and we have already traced around 250,000 people who may have unknowingly spread the virus.NHS winter preparations include delivering a very significantly expanded seasonal flu vaccination programme for priority groups.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the warning from the director-general of the World Health Organisation that the “worst” of the COVID-19 pandemic “is yet to come”, and what steps they are taking to follow the World Health Organisation’s advice to test, trace, isolate and quarantine those with COVID-19.

Lord Bethell: To prepare the National Health Service for winter, the Government is providing an additional £3 billion of funding. This includes funding to allow the NHS to maintain the Nightingale surge capacity and continue to use the extra hospital capacity available within the independent sector.Effective local management of any outbreaks is the first line of protection against a second wave that might overwhelm the NHS. To support local authorities, we made £300 million available and they already have robust plans in place to respond to outbreaks.We have also made significant strides in our Test and Trace service. We have established one of the world’s largest testing programmes, with capacity at around 350,000 tests every day and we have already traced around 250,000 people who may have unknowingly spread the virus.NHS winter preparations include delivering a very significantly expanded seasonal flu vaccination programme for priority groups.

Influenza: Vaccination

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have put in place to ensure that there will be sufficient influenza vaccine available from the start of the influenza season to vaccinate the entire population.

Lord Bethell: We have no plans to offer the influenza vaccination to the entire United Kingdom population. On 5 August 2020 we published the Annual Flu Letter Update 2020/21, which set out who will be eligible for flu vaccination this winter.General practitioners and pharmacists are directly responsible for ordering flu vaccine from suppliers which are used to deliver the national flu programme to adults, and earlier this year they were asked to review their orders for flu vaccine to ensure they have sufficient vaccine for their eligible patients. We have also procured additional stock as part of our planning for this season.Flu vaccination deliveries for those who are in at risk groups will start to be available in September and will continue in all areas in England throughout the winter months.

Influenza: Vaccination

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to maximise the take up of the influenza vaccine this year.

Lord Bethell: NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with local areas to ensure that regional teams have plans in place to increase coverage of the influenza vaccination this winter. In addition to developing the existing system of providing vaccinations through general practice, community pharmacies, schools, community and other National Health Service settings to reach new cohorts and increase uptake in existing cohorts; new models of delivery have been shared with regional commissioning teams to encourage innovative thinking such as mobile and mass vaccination models to allow for increases in uptake safely whilst observing social distancing and personal protective equipment requirements.

Social Services: Complaints

Baroness Greengross: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the suspension of all casework by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman between 26 March and 29 June due to the COVID-19 pandemic, what steps theyhave takento ensure that complaints made during that period were handled in line with the Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009; and what steps they are now taking to ensure that complaints about adult social care are handled appropriately.

Lord Bethell: The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) took the decision to suspend new complaints in order to protect frontline services. It has now fully reopened and is working through complaints received during the pause. Members of the public will not lose their access to justice because of the pandemic, and complaints regarding the COVID-19 outbreak period are now being considered as are all other complaints. The LGSCO has taken steps to ensure complainants are not penalised on time grounds for not being able to come to the LGSCO during the pause. The LGSCO has also carefully tracked legislation and guidance in operation since the outbreak and developed expertise to consistently investigate complaints made about council and social care provider actions during that period.

Influenza: Vaccination

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the uptake of the influenza vaccination programme this autumn; and what measures they intend to take to promote uptake.

Lord Bethell: On 5 August 2020 we published the Annual Flu Letter Update 2020/21, which set out our ambitions for uptake for all eligible groups.NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with local areas to ensure that regional teams have plans in place to increase coverage of the influenza vaccination this winter. In addition to developing the existing system of providing vaccinations through general practice, community pharmacies, schools, community and other National Health Service settings to reach new cohorts and increase uptake in existing cohorts; new models of delivery have been shared with regional commissioning teams to encourage innovative thinking such as mobile and mass vaccination models to allow for increases in uptake safely whilst observing social distancing and personal protective equipment requirements.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Anna Campbell

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, and if so, when, they received a request from the family and friends for the repatriation of the body of Anna Campbell, who was killed near Afrin in Syria in March 2018; what reply they sent; whether any subsequent action was taken; and if not, why not.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are bound by strict confidentiality rules under the Data Protection Act. We cannot pass on any information about Anna Campbell without her families consent.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking with the government of Israel to provide protection to Palestinian farmers in the West Bankfrom attacks by Israeli settlers.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are troubled by reports of assaults on farmers and vandalism of agricultural land. We continue to raise with Israeli counterparts our concerns about Israeli settler violence, and continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population.

Israeli Settlements

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representationsthey have made, or intend to make, to the government of Israel about Yanun and other Palestinian villages in the West Bank whose land is reportedly being confiscated for Israeli settlements.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: While we have not made representations on these reports, it has long been our position that Israeli settlement activity is illegal. We continue to urge the Israeli and Palestinian leadership to avoid actions that make it more difficult to achieve a negotiated solution to the conflict.

Hussein Abdullah Khalil Rashid and Zuhair Ebrahim Jassim Abdullah Abas

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they lastraised the cases of Zuhair Ibrahim Jasim Abdullah and Hussein Abdullah Khalil Rashid with the government of Bahrain; and which individuals and government bodies(1) in the UK, and (2) in Bahrain, have been involved in senior level representation.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We last raised the cases of Zuhair Ibrahim Jasim Abdullah and Hussein Abdullah Khalil Rashid at a senior level with the Government of Bahrain via the British Embassy in Bahrain in July. The Government of Bahrain is fully aware that the UK is firmly opposed to the death penalty, in all circumstances.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Staff

Lord Naseby: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office staff based in central London were working from their office desks on 2 September.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We continue to make our workplaces safe and accessible in line with the latest public health advice in England and Scotland and have taken a phased approach to increasing the number of desks available. Those who are able and willing to return are being encouraged to make full use of the available desks. The FCDO operates a set of desk-booking systems that allows it to track and trace which members of staff attended on any given day.

Saudi Arabia: Capital Punishment

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement made by the Saudi Arabia Human Rights Commission on 27 August that the public prosecutor has referred the death sentences of child defendants Ali al-Nimr, Dawood al-Marhoon and Abdullah Hasan al-Zaher for review; what steps they intend to take to ensure that the review is carried out effectively and expediently; and what representations they intend to make to the government of Saudi Arabiaabout(1) the speedy release ofthosedefendants, and(2) the abolition of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia for all individuals charged with crimes committed as children, including Mohammed al-Faraj.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We welcome the recent announcement from the Saudi Public Prosecutor that Ali al-Nimr, Dawood al-Marhoon and Abdullah Hasan al-Zaher will have their cases reviewed. The UK strongly opposes the death penalty in all countries and in all circumstances, as a matter of principle. This is especially the case for juveniles and for crimes other than the most serious. This is in line with the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Arab Charter on Human Rights. In August, our Chargé d'affaires in Riyadh raised the issue of the death penalty with Minister of State Al Jubeir, including Mohammad al-Faraj's case. We will continue to monitor and raise concerns about the cases of al-Nimr, al-Marhoon, al-Zaher and al-Faraj. We regularly raise our concerns about the use of the death penalty with the Saudi Arabian authorities. The Minister for the Middle East and North Africa raised the death penalty with Dr Awwad al Awwad, President of Saudi Arabia's Human Rights Commission during his virtual visit in July. I raised the death penalty in a call with Dr Awwad in June and raised a range of human rights concerns during my visit last September. The Foreign Secretary raised human rights during his visit in March this year.

Libya: Freezing of Assets

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the request by the Libyan Investment Authority to the UN to access frozen assets, including assets frozen in London; and what steps they will take to ensure that such assets are not released without an agreement to compensate the victims of IRA terrorist acts.

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the request by the Libyan Investment Authority to the UN to allow the Libyan Investment Authority to invest frozen assets; and what steps theyplan to take in response.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Libyan assets in the UK were frozen in 2011 under UN Security Council Resolution 1973, at the request of the Libyan authorities. We are not aware of any formal request by the Libyan Investment Authority to access frozen assets. We are committed to supporting the victims of Qadhafi-sponsored IRA terrorism, and continue to believe the Libyan Government has a responsibility to address their claims.

Ministry of Defence

Military Decorations

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Golden Jubilee Medals, issued in 2003, were awarded to (1) the Reserve Forces, and (2)the Merchant Navy Reserve.

Baroness Goldie: Based on the available records, it is assessed that in the region of 2,513 Queen's Golden Jubilee Medals were issued to Reservists in 2003.No Queen's Golden Jubilee Medals were issued to the Merchant Navy Reserve (MNR) as the medal was instituted after the MNR was formally disbanded in May 2000 and folded into the Royal Naval Reserve.

Military Bases: Air Force

Lord Selkirk of Douglas: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to recognise the strategic role of the RAF Regiment in defending RAF airfields and bases in the UK and abroad as part of the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy; and whether that review will take into account the adoption by NATO of the RAF Regiment's standards in airforce protection.

Baroness Goldie: The Ministry of Defence is fully committed to its part in supporting the successful delivery of the Government's ambition for the Integrated Review. It is too early to discuss specific capabilities, but I can assure you that this country will continue to have the world class Armed Forces that it needs and deserves.We will continue to strengthen cooperation with our allies on security and intelligence, underpinned by the NATO alliance.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Lord Grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Goldie on 6 August (HL7356), whether they will now answer the question put, namely, how many serving members of the UK armed forces are stationed abroad, listed by country of assignment.

Baroness Goldie: The number of Service members of the UK Armed Forces stationed abroad is 6,050. The table below details the country of assignment. CountryNumber of personnel Germany540Cyprus2,290Belgium290Gibraltar160Italy180Netherlands120Portugal20Norway40France60Czech Republic20Denmark10Spain30Georgia10Afghanistan (locally engaged civilians)80Brunei160British Indian Ocean Territory (including Diego Garcia)40Nepal20Pakistan10Singapore10Saudi Arabia130Oman110Bahrain20Kuwait40Jordan20Turkey40United Arab Emirates50Israel10Qatar30Kenya250Sierra Leone10South Africa10Nigeria20Somalia10United States of America730Canada260Belize30South America10Falkland Islands70Australia60New Zealand10Unallocated20

Immigration: Afghanistan

Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) Afghan interpreters, and (2) family members of Afghan interpreters, have been cleared for relocation to theUK but are awaiting transfer; how long on average they have been waiting; and when they anticipate relocations to take place.

Baroness Goldie: Through the Ex-Gratia Scheme, 445 former Locally Employed Civilians (LECs - this includes interpreters) and their families have relocated to the UK. This means that Her Majesty's Government has already supported over 1,300 individuals in creating new lives in the UK. A further 350 staff have benefitted from our in-country finance and training packages. There are two former LECs cleared for relocation to the UK but who are awaiting transfer. These two former LECs between them have seven family members who have also been cleared for relocation. There are a further nine family members of other former LECs whose visas have been accepted and who have been referred to Local Authorities in advance of their relocation. Verifications were completed in January 2020, so the average wait time is circa eight months. However, there has been an adverse impact on relocations from the COVID 19 pandemic; it has affected all parties to the process, from the Ministry of Defence and the Home Office to Local Authorities and partners such as the Afghan Government and the International Organization for Migration. Subject to conditions outside of our control we expect all these individuals to be relocated in the next 12 months.

A400M Aircraft: Procurement

Lord Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many A400M aircraft are currently on order.

Baroness Goldie: The UK has ordered 22 A400M aircraft, 20 have been delivered, with two remaining to be delivered.

A400M Aircraft

Lord Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many A400M aircraft they have obtained for current service.

Baroness Goldie: To date, 20 A400M aircraft have been delivered to the Royal Air Force.

A400M Aircraft: Procurement

Lord Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they provided in total monies for the A400M project.

Baroness Goldie: Up to the end of March 2020, the UK had spent £2.3 billion on its acquisition of A400M aircraft against a total provision for acquisition of £2.6 billion.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) how couples living in the same household in receipt of social security benefits intended for children share their income, and (2) how money from social security benefits intended for children is spent in such households; and what research is being undertaken to assess income distribution at an individual rather than household level.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Department does not specify how benefit recipients should spend the money they receive and does not monitor the spending decisions they make. There are no current plans to undertake specific research to assess income distribution at an individual rather than household level.

Universal Credit: Armed Forces

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government why(1) payments from the Armed Forces Pension Scheme, and (2) War Pension payments to cover the costs of injuries arising from service, are treated as income when being assessed for Universal Credit.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: Payments made under the War Pension Scheme or the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme are not taken into account as income in Universal Credit. Income-related benefits already partially disregard War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments for injuries and bereavement. With the introduction of Universal Credit, we have gone a step further, and have ensured that War Pensions and all Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments are fully disregarded in the assessment of income for Universal Credit. All other regular, occupational and personal pension payments, that are designed to provide support to help people meet their living costs, are taken fully into account in the assessment of entitlement to Universal Credit.

Home Office

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government what provision they have made to assist the children of those illegal immigrants crossing the English Channel who have been separated from their parents.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: All unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) who arrive in the UK are treated in line with established processes. Upon arrival, an unaccompanied child will undergo a number of mandatory checks and will be interviewed in order to identify any safeguarding concerns. On completion, a child will then be handed to a local authority for them to provide the necessary support under their statutory duties as set out in the Children Act 1989.

Refugees

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to resume the resettlement schemefor refugees.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: It is not currently possible to undertake resettlement activity due to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. However, we are working on detailed plans to recommence resettlement arrivals as soon as it is safe and operationally viable to do so.The resumption of refugee resettlement arrivals, including community sponsorship, remains dependent on a number of factors including: the lifting of restrictions imposed by the governments of those countries and in the UK; the ability of our international partners to operate; the reopening of the UK’s visa application centres; local authority and central government capacity in light of COVID-19; and recovery of the asylum system from the impact of COVID-19.We continue to closely monitor the situation and remain in regular dialogue with our international and domestic stakeholders.

Refugees: Families

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 5 August (HL7163), whether they will now answer the question put, namely, when the report by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration into family reunion was delivered; and what plans they have for publication of the report before the end of September.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Secretary is considering the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration’s report on Family Reunion Applications. The report will be laid before Parliament as soon as possible.

Social Distancing: Enforcement

Lord Birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the success of tactics used to police large gatherings of people who are not adhering to COVID-19 preventative measures.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The deployment of tactics is an operational matter for the police. The police response follows the four-step escalation principles – engaging, explaining, encouraging, and then enforcing. In general the public have followed the rules without any need for enforcement action. We have empowered the police to disperse gatherings and issue Fixed Penalty Notices for those who break the rules. This includes £10,000 fines to those who hold, or are involved in the holding of, illegal gatherings as well as fines for those who participate.The National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) regularly publish data on fixed penalty notices issued under COVID-19 emergency health regulations by police forces and are in the process of collating data relating to the number of £10,000 fines issued.

Extradition: USA

Lord McNally: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many British citizens are held in custody in the UK awaiting the outcome of hearings on extradition to the United States.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: As of 3 September 2020, there are nine British Citizens who have been remanded in custody by the courts in relation to extradition requests from the United States. This includes an individual who holds dual British / US nationality.All figures are from local management information and have not been quality assured to the level of published National Statistics. As such they should be treated as provisional and therefore subject to change. The figures do not include Scotland, which deals with its own extradition cases.

Visas: EU Countries

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government what the maximum length of continuous visa-free stay for EU citizens in the UK will be from 1 January 2021; how soon after the end of any such visa-free stay period EU citizens who have stayed for the maximum period will be able to return to the UK to begin another visa-free stay; and what will be the legal basis for an agreement on such matters between the UK and EU.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government has already said that its intention is for citizens of the EEA and Switzerland to be able to continue to travel to the UK as a visitor for up to six months without needing a visa from the end of the transition period following the UK’s departure from the EU. This will be reflected in the UK’s immigration rules.EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals will not be required to remain outside the UK for a set period before returning to the UK as a visitor, however they should not seek to live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits or make the UK their main home.From 1 January 2021, unless they have rights under the EU exit separation agreements, EEA and Swiss nationals intending to come to the UK on a long-term basis to live, work or study will need to do so under the new, UK points-based immigration system which will be set out in our domestic law.

Treasury

NHS: VAT

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to publish the review into the application of VAT as applied to the NHS.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Section 41 policy paper on the review into the application of VAT to the NHS was published on 27 August 2020 on the GOV.UK website as ‘VAT and the Public Sector: Reform to VAT Refund Rules’.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Lord Wigley: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how many, and (2) under what circumstances, applications made under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme between 1 Augustand 31August were (a) accepted, and (b) approved, when such applications were submitted after the deadline for applications; and what criteria they used to decide which circumstances were deemed exceptional so as to accept such out-of-time applications.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: There is no appeal process available for those who have missed the CJRS deadline of 31 July 2020. However, if an employer wishes to raise a complaint about mistakes or unreasonable delays caused by HMRC, they have been asked to follow HMRC’s complaints procedure. HMRC have accepted 1,360 claims relating to 1,114 employers that have been made from 1 August 2020 to 31 August 2020 for a period on or prior to 30 June 2020. The main reasons for the claims being accepted are:Amendments to previous claimsCustomers who have made the claim on or before 31 July that needed manual intervention and which HMRC did not process until on or after 1 August 2020.Customers requesting a review. This has been mainly about eligibility or maximum cap.

VAT: Imports

Lord Strasburger: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they took and when to address concerns raised by Richard Allen and others that Low Value Consignment Relief (LVCR) was being used for a purpose for which it was not intended; what estimate they have made of (1) the cost to the Exchequer of misuse of LVCR not being addressed sooner, and (2) the number of retailers who did pay VAT and went out of business as a result of the misuse of LVCR by others.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: In April 2012 the Government took action to remove Low Value Consignment Relief (LVCR) for goods imported from the Channel Islands. Estimates were published at the time showing yield from this measure to be £90 million in 2012-13. From 1 January 2021 the Government will be introducing changes that will see the removal of LVCR from all imports and make online marketplaces liable for VAT on low value imported goods sold through their websites.

Dental Services: Protective Clothing

Lord Woolley of Woodford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend the zero rating for personal protection equipment to include air purification systems and other equipment used by the dentistry profession to remove ambient airborne particulates.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: As part of the response to the pandemic, in April 2020 the Government introduced a temporary zero-rate of VAT from 1 May 2020 to 31 July 2020 on all sales and imports of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) for protection from infection. This temporary zero-rate has now been extended to 31 October 2020, and benefits all users of PPE, including dentists. The Government has no plans to review the scope of this relief at this time.